-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo has announced her retirement from tennis , revealing that she no longer has the desire to play and train .

The 30-year-old won two Grand Slam tournaments in 2006 as she spent 34 weeks at the top of the rankings , but has suffered a gradual slide since following a series of injuries and ended this year at No. 21 .

The Frenchwoman won the Paris Indoor Open earlier this year , but it proved to be a false dawn in her return to top form and she skipped the final two tournaments of 2009 .

`` I came here to announce the end of my career . I made this decision after careful consideration , '' she told reporters at an emotional press conference on Thursday .

`` I do n't want to train anymore . I had to make a decision , which became evident in the last few months and weeks . When you grow older , it 's more difficult to stay at the top .

`` It 's a bit sad , but this is the right decision . I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court .

`` I dreamt of this career , I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title . I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I lived 10 magical and unbelievable years . ''

Mauresmo claimed her first major win at the Australian Open when Justine Henin pulled out with injury during the final , but she defied her doubters by beating the Belgian to claim the Wimbledon title later that year .

Henin and her compatriot have both ended their relatively brief retirements this year , but Mauresmo said she was unlikely to have a similar change of mind .

`` Even if I 've learned to never say never , the players you are thinking about stopped earlier than me before coming back , '' she said .

WTA Tour chair Stacey Allaster paid tribute to the player .

`` Amelie 's accomplishments not only include winning two Grand Slam titles and becoming the first French player to reach the world No. 1 ranking , but leading France to a Fed Cup victory , and generously donating her time to various social causes , '' she said .

`` Amelie is an extraordinary player , one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on tour , and a true champion both in tennis and in life . ''

Mauresmo won the junior French Open and Wimbledon titles in 1996 before heading to the senior circuit , where she reached the Australian Open final in 1999 before losing to Martina Hingis .

She became the first French player , male or female , to reach the top of the rankings in 2004 , when she won the silver medal at the Athens Olympics , losing to Henin in the final .

But her career came off the rails in 2007 , missing two months due to injury and finishing outside the top-10 for the first time in seven seasons .

The following year was even worse as she ended it outside the top-20 . Mauresmo won 25 titles overall , and was a losing finalist 23 times .

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Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo announces her retirement from tennis

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The 30-year-old holds an emotional press conference , saying she has lost motivation

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She was the first French player , male or female , to reach the top of the rankings

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But her career has been on a downward spiral since suffering injuries during 2007